If you find yourself struggling out there as a singleton, it turns out it could be down to your feet not being as 'croissant' as they could.
Bare with me a second here... as although wanting your trotters to resemble a French pastry sounds pretty bizarre, this body language expert believes it's the secret to scoring a hot date.
Vanessa Van Edwards is the founder of Science of People, an organisation which gives people 'science-backed skills to improve communication and leadership'.
Advert
She's taught her tricks of how to communicate with confidence across the globe, hosting a TEDxLondon talk and speaking at institutions such as Harvard, SXSW, MIT, and Stanford.
And on top of all this, she's authored two best-selling books - Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People and Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication - which spill her secrets.
In December last year, Vanessa sat down with Steven Bartlett for an appearance on his Diary of a CEO podcast to dish out even more of her knowledge on what humans really respond to.
And she had a lot of advice to share for those who are finding it difficult on the dating scene.
Why loud bars and clubs are the best places to forge connections
Advert
First things first, the expert explained that although they are not everyone's cup of tea, she reckons loud bars and nightclubs work really well 'for facilitating romantic relationships'.
Vanessa said: "What happens in a loud bar or a loud nightclub is, you can't hear someone - so you get a little bit closer and all of a sudden you're accidentally standing in someone's intimate zone.
"Then that Q cycle begins to kick in, where you're like, 'Well, if I'm standing within a foot and a half from this person, maybe I should feel intimate with them'.
"Which then makes you lean more, makes you want to touch more. That is why people go to bars and nightclubs to facilitate these romantic relationships... it's accidentally going into the intimate zone."
Essentially, the need for closeness to combat the blaring music often gives people that push they need to see if they have a spark with someone.
Open body language
Vanessa then referred to some research conducted by psychologist Monica Moore at Bucknell University, which aimed to find what the people who get approached the most in clubs are doing.
Advert
Turns out, the most popular punters are displaying the 'biggest signal of availability' they possibly can - as the research found it wasn't the 'most attractive men and women' who were inundated with admirers.
"In fact, the most attractive women in the in the room - if they had closed off body language, they were not approached, they did not get dates they did not give out their number," Vanessa explained.
"It was the men and women who signalled, 'I'm available'."
So, how do you let people know you're interested without having to stand there with a big sign saying 'I'm single'?
Advert
According to Vanessa, being 'approachable' is the most important part and you need to display this with your body language.
"No blocking," the expert continued. "I never want anything in front of your torso. I don't want arms crossed, I don't want cup in front of you, I don't want you clutching your computer or your iPad or your phone.
"I want you to make sure that your torso is open and angled out towards the room."
Croissant feet
Vanessa said you need to do the same with your tootsies too - which is where 'croissant feet' come in to play.
Advert
She explained that rather than positioning your feet parallel to the person you fancy, you ought to angle them so they resemble the curved shape of a croissant.
The author went on: "In a dating situation I want you to have croissant feet, which is where your feet are angled toward the biggest part of the room, saying, 'I'm open come and approach me'.
"That signals to both men and women, Oh maybe that person is literally physically open to someone coming in and breaking this conversation'."
As well as this, Vanessa said sending several 'small darting glances' in the direction of people you are interested in will encourage them to approach you.
Viewers were pretty impressed with the expert's dating hacks, although a few people weren't sure about 'croissant feet' catching on.
One said: "This has always worked for me in social settings!"
Another wrote: "Vanessa is dropping wisdom and truth bombs with every syllable she utters!!! Just WOW. One of the best guests you've ever had!"
A third added: "If I saw a girl with feet like that I would think she walks like a penguin."
And a fourth commented: "I've been trying to tell people lol. Worst they can say is no."
Topics: Dating trends, Sex and Relationships, YouTube
Olivia Burke